A Certain Romance (Reimagined)

Hacks

I stormed into the computer room that Michael always spent his off periods in. He discussed new video games and torrenting shows under the school's IP address so they'd arrest Lydia's father, the principal, before ever thinking about arresting Michael. He loved to be ahead of the game, that was what he was known for. Michael had it all figured out most times and I admired that about him. While the rest of us were out here winging it in life, he was making specific moves to outsmart everyone. We all needed to be like him.

I forgot how much I hated the environment of the computer room. It was uncomfortable and stuffy and I felt like I was being undressed by the guys in here. What was worse? The wedgie I had from running to the other side of the school or the hyperventilating freshman who were whipping out their inhalers when they saw me? I'd call it even. All this attention and I couldn't even pick my wedgie out. Life really hated me right now. I hated myself too.

"Michael." I grabbed his tie, turning him towards me. It was difficult to get his attention when he had a computer in front of him. Technology was his form of relaxation. Even though, it was recommended to have zero screen time before bed, he still had his nose in his phone or his laptop, doing something only he could explain. Maybe coding or some shit. I prayed it wasn't anything weird he was doing, but if I knew Michael; I knew he always did something weird.

Michael pushed my hands away gently, "I thought we agreed to never be like this again." He shoot to his feet after muttering something to the guy he was sitting beside.

I rolled my eyes at his attempt to impress his other group of friends. "Take me to your house." I tapped my foot impatiently and ignored the freshman boy to my right, who was catching a whiff of the perfume Luke had given me.

"Again, I thought we agreed to never get kinky again." He repeated, sending daggers to the kid for even breathing my air.

"S-sorry, Michael." The freshman stuttered, walking away from us.

"Why do you need to go to my house?" He leaned against the desk, his bad boy façade would make any nonsensical girl swoon right now with his leather jacket and the annoyed look adding to his act, but not me. Not in a million years could it get me trapped, I knew he was a fucking dork underneath it all.

"If Ashton thinks he can get away with his bullshit, I'm going to prove him wrong." I grabbed Michael's arm, yanking him towards the door.

"What did he do now?" He was extra annoyed now. First, I pulled him away from his computer time, then, I brought up Ashton. I wasn't setting myself up for any good to come out of this.

"He simply breathed."

-

With a bit of convincing to the "good girl" Cassie, we got Luke out of dance class early. Yes, dance class. He thought his calling was to be a jazz dancer sometimes even if he could barely dance. I didn't argue with him though. Cassie also gave us all passes to leave campus and promised to mark us present in any class we missed as long as we allowed her to sit with us at lunch because we were the cool kids now. Deal. Doing the Lord's work was easy. Cassie always ended up eating lunch in the school office anyway, maybe finding the next teacher to hook up with for a good grade.

"I knew you'd come around." Michael smirked in reference to hacking Ashton's Facebook account, not to anything sexual. He stretched his neck from side to side and then began typing away. We agreed it was better to do this at his house, rather than at school because of simple paranoia. "What exactly are you gonna do with his Facebook?"

"Not sure yet." I dragged lip balm across my lips, tossing it on the bed where my backpack was. I'd have to figure out my motive later, for now I just wanted juicy details. Right now, I was only thinking with revenge and very blindly too. Ashton had taken advantage of chances and lines were crossed. To me, that only meant I had to take matters into my own hands - anonymously with the help of Michael.

"I think you should expose Margarita." Luke added from his position in front of Michael's mirror, making sure his curls were still perfect. "Accidentally post her clam chowder on Ashton's Facebook wall."

"Luke." Michael and I said together in disgust, horrified looks on both our faces. I would never mention Margarita's nudes to my friends ever again. Big mistake. Why would I both exposing someone that had nothing to do with me? It didn't seem fair. The only person I had a right to be mad at was Ashton. Whoever Margarita was, she wasn't that accountable for anything she had sent Ashton. She had no clue what Ashton was doing behind her back.

"What?" Luke took a glance at Michael and I in the mirror. "Was my idea not good enough?"

"So," Michael turned back to the computer, opening the Facebook messages on Ashton's account. "We take the picture, post it to his wall, and tag her in it..." Michael scrolled through the messages, laughing so hard he hunched over and hit his head on the edge of the desk, but that didn't stop his laughter. "They're still exchanging suggestive messages. They're talking right now, actually."

Then why was he so obsessed with the idea of me and us? Margarita lived in Australia, so did he have her in Australia in case him and I didn't work out? Or vice versa. It was hard to read these guys.

"During school?" I pushed Michael over, taking a seat. I had a list of stuff on Ashton that he'd never know I knew about all with the help of MIchael. I didn't have to put any effort in, except dragging Michael out of the campus. "This is perfect."

"Can I do it?" Luke whispered. "I've never done anything bad. I want to feel like a badass."

God, he just wanted to impress Ally, but Ally would be so turned off if she knew Luke was doing this weird blackmailing, exposing shit.

"Go for it." Michael pushed Luke to the computer. I didn't get a chance to move from the desk chair because Luke thought it would be appropriate to sit on my lap. I peeked over the left side of his back to see the desktop screen. His 6'4" frame was way too much for my 5'9" self when he sat on top of me. My legs were going numb.

"Michael Gordon!" Michael's mom yelled from downstairs then her heavy footsteps sounded as she stormed up to Michael's room. Karen could tolerate Michael's obsession with gossiping, but she would not tolerate Michael skipping class if there wasn't a good reason for it.

"Hide me." Michael groaned, cover his face with a pillow.

"It's already obvious you're here with your damn Buick parked out front." I ripped the pillow from his face and slapped him with it.

The falling apart Buick was not a car that could go unnoticed. When the rest of Lakewood kids were getting a Ranger Rover or a Mercedes the day they turned 16, Michael's parents gave him a beat up car to teach him the value of something. When Michael said the car caught the wrong kind of attention, he didn't exaggerate. The paint was chipping and the bumper was so close to falling off, but Michael refused to invest any of his parent's money in the piece of shit.

"Oh," Karen inhaled with surprise. "Sage, Luke. Hello."

Luke and I mumbled hello's back.

"What are you doing home?" She faced Michael.

"I could ask you the same thing." Michael retorted. His mom took a step forward and Michael gave in before his mom could get any closer. "Luke had a nervous breakdown and peed himself, so we came over to get him a new new pair of pants."

Luke looked down at his pants and giggled while nodding his head.

"You couldn't go to his house?'

"He lives too far from campus. Didn't want to fuss with the rain and going on a long car trip."

"If you're about to do something awful and I find out about it, I will kick your ass." Karen warned. Karen had her moments when she was scarier than Liz. This moment was a prime example. I was even convinced she was going to kick my ass even if I wasn't her child. She slammed the bedroom door.

There was a great amount of silence between the three of us as Luke focused on what he was doing, making sure he didn't make one wrong move and ruin the scheme for everyone.

"Done." Luke grinned after a few mouse clicks.